Housing: government should act
Here’s a good Le Devoir op-ed on the need for government to truly act on serious rent controls. Alexandre Petitclerc says social housing is needed but it doesn’t solve the housing problem for the many working people who need an affordable place to live, without the nagging worry of being pushed out for profit.
steph 14:13 on 2020-12-29 Permalink
“limites sur l’augmentation des loyers entre deux baux,” ??? The limit is the same regardless of a lease change.
smd 16:43 on 2020-12-29 Permalink
@steph But without a provincial lease registry you’ll never know what the previous rent was. The self-reported tenant data at http://www.monloyer.quebec is a good start but needs to be made mandatory and searchable, much like the yearly average of an address’ Hydro bills.
steph 17:29 on 2020-12-29 Permalink
If you don’t believe what your landlord put on your new lease, take him to the Régie (newly renamed the
Tribunal Administratif du Logement). It should be easy for a landlord to prove how much he was receiving.
Kate 12:08 on 2020-12-30 Permalink
steph, who’s going to sign a lease for a rent they can’t afford on the chance that the previous rent was significantly lower? You need access to open information about the previous rent so you can use that to negotiate a fair rent before you sign that new lease.
steph 18:59 on 2020-12-30 Permalink
Don’t ever try to negotiate, the landlord will just choose another candidate. Accept the terms, sign the illegal lease, move in, and take it to to the Régie to sort if needed. The yearly rent increase should be following the calculation guidelines regardless of a change of tenant. Let the landlord prove in front of a Régie judge what the previous rent was and his calculation for the increase.
I’d advise to even pay a deposit when asked (even if they’re illegal). let it be your 2nd months rent. The landlord won’t have a leg to stand on if he tries to take you to the Régie.
It may not put you on the best terms with a landlord, but if your landlord is willing to be bend the rules, so should you.
Michael Black 21:36 on 2020-12-30 Permalink
The Gazette says Ted Wright died Dec 12th. A big tennants rights activist, it’s interesting that his name seems to have surpassed Arnold Bennett. He started with the Housing Hotline, then went off by himself. I also vaguely remember him in the news for photographing something, was it English signs, or graffitti, I can’t remember.
He was only 71, I thought he was older.